


The Moment We Come Alive

by AwakeAndAliveSpartan



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Hellfire! Ward, Oneshot Series, s2 divergent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-05-10 00:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwakeAndAliveSpartan/pseuds/AwakeAndAliveSpartan
Summary: There's nothing more Grant loves more than his family and nothing can tear him away from them.AKA: A series of oneshots revolving around Grant, Skye, and their children.





	1. What's In a Name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye ask Fitz with help naming their children.

“Skye? I’m back.”

Skye looked up from the couch to see Grant coming into the room, “Hey.” she answered with a smile. “How did things go?”

Grant shrugged, taking off his overcoat and throwing it onto the back of one of the common room chairs, “I mean, I can’t exactly say good. The government still doesn’t like the idea of SHIELD being a legitimate organization again. They also don’t like the idea of Coulson having Inhuman agents.” He sat down next to Skye and smiled as Max came running up to him, “A lot of arguing. Good thing Coulson is much better at that than I am.” he stated, running his hands through Max’s scruff. “I can’t do those kind of things.”

“And you were okay without Max there?”

“Well, I had to be. I don’t think the government would take too kindly to one of SHIELD’s top Inhuman agents having a service dog. I just stayed quiet. I,”

“Hey, I’m here, too!”

Grant frowned and looked over to see Fitz sitting in the opposite chair. He smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, “Sorry, Fitz. I didn’t see you there.” he stated. “It’s been a long day.” He looked between Skye and Fitz, “What were you two doing anyways?”

“Fitz was trying to help me come up with baby names.” Skye answered, reaching out for her husband’s hand. “And failing horribly.”

Fitz’s face fell, “I can’t help that you don’t like anything I suggest.”

“Fitz, I am not naming my children after anything Disney-related. I’ve told you time and time again.”

Grant scowled at the young engineer, “Fitz, really?” he asked. “Why would I name my children after a Disney character? Wait, never mind. I don’t want to know your reasoning.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, “Let’s stick with normal names for once.”

Fitz mumbled underneath his breath and pulled out his phone, “Fine, I’ll look up a baby name website, okay?” 

Grant smiled slightly and placed a careful hand on the swell of his wife’s belly, “There you go, Fitz. You’re getting somewhere. Remember, I’m not naming my son Abu.” he stated. Fitz mumbled again, causing Grant to roll his eyes. 

“Okay, here you go. A normal name for your son and it’s got quite an ironic meaning behind it.”

“Fitz,” Skye began. “It better not be too weird.”

“It means ‘little fire’.” Fitz smiled slightly as he looked up at Grant. “I think that’s perfect for the son of the walking flamethrower here.” He turned the phone so both Grant and Skye could see it, “Adian. How about it?”

Grant blinked, looking over towards Skye, “I… I actually like that name, Skye.” he answered. “I think it fits. Do you think it fits with the middle name we were thinking of?”

“Well, I think it does.” Skye stated. She looked over to Fitz, “But let’s ask him. It wouldn’t hurt to have an outside opinion.”

A frown formed on Fitz’s face, “Middle name? What were you thinking of?”

“Well, for our daughter, we were going to go with Rose for Grant’s little sister. My idea since I don’t have a female family member to name her after and we never asked May about using her as inspiration.” Skye began to explain, looking over towards Grant, “But the boy’s name was all Grant’s idea.”

Grant swallowed and scratched the back of his head, “My idea was to have our son’s middle name to be Leo.” he stated, trailing off slightly. 

Fitz’s mouth fell open slightly, “Leo. After me.” He didn’t know what to say in response. He actually felt extremely honored that Grant wanted to name his son after him. “W-Why?”

“Fitz, you are Grant’s best friend after all. He thought that it was appropriate.” Skye explained for Grant. She watched as Grant reached out again and scratched the top of Max’s head, the black shepherd’s tail wagging happily in response. “He liked the idea a whole lot and I wasn’t going to argue against it.”

“Well…. Well, I like it.” Fitz managed to say. “Just don’t call him Leopold, don’t do that to the poor boy. Please.”

Grant smiled, “Don’t worry, Fitz, we won’t do that to him.” he stated. He looked over to Skye, “Adian Leo Ward. I think it’s perfect, don’t you think?”

Skye smiled back at him and placed her hand over his, “Yeah, it’s perfect.” she stated in response. “But what about the girl? Maybe something matching? Like another name that starts with ‘A’?”

Fitz was immediately on the case, scrolling through the website looking for something that would fit. “Hold on, I’ll look through the A girl names.”

“How about you call out the ones that you like and we’ll stop you when we like one?” Grant suggested. “That’ll work, I guess. Just don’t call out really weird ones.”

“Alright.” Fitz began listing names and did so for about a minute until Skye motioned for him to stop.

“Right there! I like that one!”

Grant blinked, “What? Ava?” he asked. “I hope that’s the one that you were talking about.”

She nodded in response, “That’s exactly the one I was talking about. I think that it’s absolutely perfect for our little girl.” she answered. She smiled back at Grant, “Ava Rose Ward. It’s absolutely perfect. Adian and Ava.”

A smile grew on Grant’s face and he ran a gentle hand over the swell of Skye’s belly again, “Yeah, absolutely perfect.” he commented. He looked towards Fitz, “You like them, too?”

Fitz smiled as well, “Yep. They sound great.”

“Fitz, you just like them because our son shares his middle name with you.” Skye stated with a smirk. “You’ll agree with anything right now.”

“Well… They’re both great names.”

“They’re not official until they’re on the birth certificates. And boy am I glad that we’re actual citizens again.” Skye sighed. “Our children don’t have to grow up as fugitives.”

Grant smiled again, “At least Coulson took care of that before they were born.” he agreed. “Well, I guess he was also tired of not existing legally. We all were. At least that means we’ll be able to get a proper house when the time comes. We can’t raise two children in a spy base.”

Skye nodded slowly, “Yeah, you’re right.” She poked him in the side, “Better start looking.”

“Why does it have to be me? I’m constantly on missions right now. You’re the one on bed rest until the twins are born. You have a laptop.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Fine. Whatever.” she mumbled. She poked him again, “Guess what? You’re home and it’s time for a nap. And you have to come. Get changed out of that stuffy suit, which looks amazing on you by the way, and get comfortable. Your very pregnant wife wants a nap.”

Grant looked over to Fitz, a pleading look in his eyes. Fitz just gave him a smile and a shrug, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to help the man at all. No one could argue with Skye when she wanted something.

With a huff, Grant looked back to Skye, “Fine. We’ll go take a nap.” He stood to his feet and helped Skye up, “Come on, Max. That means you, too.” He smiled slightly as the shepherd barked in response. He wrapped a gentle arm around Skye’s waist and began to lead her out the room, waving at Fitz with his free hand, “See ya’ later, Fitz. And thanks for the help.”

Fitz smiled again, even though Grant or Skye couldn’t see him do so, “No problem. Just helping out a friend.” he stated, watching the two walk out the common room together. He smiled even more once he was all alone. 

“Jemma’s not gonna believe it! They’re naming their son after me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note on this. This is inspired by an AU created by me and a friend on Tumblr where Grant was pulled out of the Vault by Skye early on and she helped him to recover. And he also ended up in the temple with her, so he's Inhuman as well. More lore behind the AU will show up in further parts. I hope that you enjoy! Please leave a comment or a kudos!


	2. Baby Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye discuss some things with Elena and Fitz has a first.

“So, what are you hoping for?”

Elena looked up with a frown, “Huh?” she asked, watching Grant take Adian from Skye.

Skye smiled slightly, “You know, boy or girl?” she reiterated. “What are you hoping for?”

“Oh.” Elena nodded. “That’s what you mean. I am hoping for a girl, but Mack says that he doesn’t care.” she answered. “But I think he’s secretly hoping for a girl, too. He just doesn’t want to say.”

“Well, I think a little baby girl Mackenzie will be absolutely adorable.” Skye stated with another smile. “Just be glad that it’s just one baby and not two. I mean, they may only be a few days old, but they’re already a handful. Adian’s grumpy if he’s not constantly on Grant’s chest. Ava likes to eat too much. And I’m already tired of having to whip out my boob every other hour to feed them.”

“I’m certainly not tired of that.” Grant commented with a smirk, holding a sleeping Adian close to his chest. He smiled even more as Skye began to blush.

“Shut up,  _ Ward _ .” Skye hissed, hitting him on the shoulder. “I can’t help that you’re horny most of the time.”

Grant just shrugged and settled back into the couch.

Skye looked back to Elena, giving her an apologetic smile, “I swear, he’s like a teenaged boy.” she began. “Can’t keep it in his pants.”

“Well, Mack did say that there was a reason that you two were the first to have children.” Elena answered, giving Skye an awkward smile. “He was just surprised that it didn’t happen like two years ago.”

Skye blushed even more and readjusted Ava in her arms, “Well, I’m gonna make sure that these two are the only ones we ever have. I just don’t think I could go through pregnancy again. Having a child may be great, but getting there isn’t. Elena, I’m gonna be blunt with you. It was hell. I think that the only good things were that Coulson took me off active duty and Grant waited on me hand and foot.” She paused, “No, wait. He’s always done that.”

“I know that it’s not going to be pleasant.” Elena placed a hand over her non-existent bump. She had only found out a couple of days ago. “But I have Mack. And all of you. So I guess that I am prepared. Hopefully.”

Skye smiled, “It’ll be fine. It may not seem like it at times, but it will be fine eventually.” she stated softly. “You’ll get through it and you two will have a beautiful baby on your hands.”

Elena smiled back in response, “Thank you. It means a lot.”

Grant looked down and ran a hand over Max’s head, whom of which had his head laid up on Grant’s thigh. It was clear that the shepherd was watching the two babies intently and Grant knew that the twins had a protector. He was just glad that he wasn’t so reliant on the dog anymore, so Max could belong more to the twins than to him. 

He shifted Adian closer to his chest, smiling as the little boy let out what sounded like a moan. Grant looked back up, “Hey, is it possible for an Inhuman to inherit powers from a parent? Or is it random?”

Skye blinked, “I think that it’s pretty much random most of the time. Genetics play some role in it. Why?”

“I mean, Adian really seems to love my body heat and Ava doesn’t.” Grant began. “Is that a sign that he’s gonna get my powers?”

“Great, just what we need. Yet  _ another  _ walking flamethrower on our hands.”

Grant frowned and looked up to see Fitz coming into the room, “You could lose the attitude, Fitz.” he stated. “Just asking a question.”

Fitz raised his hands, “And I know that.” He smiled, “I just like messing with you.”

“Aren’t they cute?” Elena asked, looking between the two. “Like children.”

“He’s my friend, Elena. I’m supposed to tease him.” 

Grant rolled his eyes, “Uh, whatever.”

Fitz smiled again and turned his attention to the twins, “How are they doing?” he asked. “I mean, I don’t know what days old babies do, but still.”

“They either sleep, eat, or poop so far.” Skye answered, shifting Ava around in her arms. “So I would say not much.”

Grant snickered, “That’s what you said about Max when you first got him for me.” he stated. “You’ll come around.” He shifted his attention back to Fitz as Skye rolled her eyes, “Speaking of which, would you like to hold one of them?” he asked. “Elena already has. Jemma has. Coulson and May have. Hell, so has Mack. You’re the only one that hasn’t.”

Fitz’s face went partially white, “W-Well,” he began with a stammer. “It’s just that I…. You know…”

“You think babies are dirty, don’t you?” Elena asked with an raised eyebrow. “You hate to get your hands dirty.”

“No… It’s not,”

“Fitz, I swear that my children are clean.” Skye cut in with a glare. “We make sure of that. Holding one of the twins isn’t going to get you dirty. And they’re sleeping, so it’s not like they’re going to drool on you or anything.”

Grant took a breath and stood up, gently caring Adian over to Fitz, “Here, you can hold him.” he stated. Max jumped up and walked over, sitting at Fitz’s feet and watching him with a careful eyes. “It’ll be fine. Just hold him close and support his head. If he starts crying, it’s because he misses the warmth of my chest. But he should be fine for a few minutes.”

Fitz gulped, “A-Are you sure?” he stammered again. “He’s just so tiny.”

“He’s a baby, Fitz. Hell, he’ll probably be much taller than you one day.” Grant stated with another smirk. He gently handed Adian to the engineer, “Babies are tiny.”

His heart in his throat, Fitz carefully held Adian, looking down at the tiny boy. Adian was still sleeping, which was a good thing he supposed. At this angle, he could tell how much the infant already looked like his father. “He, uh, looks like you.”

“Well, I sure hope he does. Or I’ll have some serious questions for Skye.” Grant joked, shooting Skye a teasing smile.

“Ha ha, very funny, Grant.” Skye replied. “Very funny. Let’s hope that the neither of them gets your dry humor.”

Grant touched his chest as though Skye’s comment hurt, “Hey, I think I’m very funny.” he stated. He looked back to Fitz, “Do you think I’m funny?”

Fitz raised an eyebrow, still holding onto Adian, “Well, you’re already starting to tell dad jokes, so no.” he answered honestly. “You’re not.” He went back to looking down at Adian as Grant began to look as though he was deeply offended. “At least you’re quiet, unlike your dad.” he whispered. “But you are something, Adian Leo. And have I told you that I love your middle name?”

Skye smiled, “See? You’re getting the hang of it.”

Fitz looked up, “Well, I…” He trailed off as a soft whimper started to sound from Adian. He looked back down to see the baby’s eyes open and his lip starting to quiver. Fitz’s eyes widened as Adian started to wait and he held him away from him. 

“And now he doesn’t.” Elena added with a slight laugh.

“Uh, uh, turn it off!”

Grant rolled his eyes and took Adian from Fitz, holding him close to his chest and allowing heat to accumulate underneath his skin to calm the newborn, “He’s a baby, Fitz. Not a machine.” He began to shush Adian before his cries could wake his twin sister. “You really need some baby smarts on you. It’s only a matter of time before you and Jemma have one.”

Fitz’s cheeks reddened, “What makes you say that?”

“Well, you’re the only couple left that hasn’t had a baby. And Coulson and May are too old for that.” Skye explained for Grant. “So he’s right. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Not if I have a say so!”

“Fitz, I have walked in on you two  _ several _ times. So it really is a matter of time before it does happen.” Grant stated, looking the man dead in the eyes. “You two have no control.”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black!”

Grant smoothed down Adian’s black hair and raised an eyebrow at Fitz, “Well, we already have two babies.” he stated, going to sit back down with Max right on his heels. “Like I said, it’s only a matter of time.”

Fitz only reddened even more. 

Grant smiled even more, his smile practically beaming at this point.

“Ah, I’m just fooling with ya’!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the next oneshot! I hope that y'all found it as cute as I did! I'm not sure how big of a time skip will be between this one and the next, I'm still figuring something out. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	3. Baby Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant tries desperately to get his son to say 'dada'.

“Adian, can you say ‘Dada’? I know that I heard you say it earlier.”

Grant stared intently at his eight month old son, a smile forming on the boy’s face. Adian let out a string of babbles, none of which sounded remotely like ‘dada’ to Grant. This caused Grant to pout, he swore that Adian had said it not too long ago. Hell, even Ava had been able to say ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ already. Grant just figured that Adian was being stubborn. 

“Say ‘dada’.” Grant repeated, pronouncing the word very carefully for the boy. “Can you say it?”

Grant sighed when Adian only babbled again, “Well, they didn’t say that it would be easy.” His face scrunched up as he thought of something, “Hey, Max! Come here boy!” he called, turning to face where the dog laid across the living room. “Come help me and Adian.”

Max barked happily and hopped up, quickly trotting across the room over to him. The shepherd sat at Grant’s feet and looked up at the two of them. Grant quickly shifted Adian around in his arms so the boy could see Max. 

“Look, Adian, it’s Max.”

Adian let out a happy gurgle and reached out towards the dog, “Ma! Ma!” he exclaimed happily, letting out another gurgle. 

Grant’s stomach dropped and he spun Adian around to look at him, “That’s right, Adian! Max!” he exclaimed. “You said Max! Too bad your Momma and Ava aren’t here to see this. Maybe later for them.” he muttered, noting that his phone was across the room. Skye had taken Ava with her to the store earlier since Adian was still asleep. 

“Ma!” Adian exclaimed again, drool running down his chin. He giggled as Grant took his finger and wiped the drool away. 

“Alright, so you can say the dog’s name, but can you say my name, Adian?” Grant asked again, beginning to bounce the little boy on his knee. “Say ‘dada’ for me.”

Adian blinked, just staring at Grant.

“Adian, please. Do it for me.” Grant pretty much pleaded, even though he knew that it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. If Adian didn’t want to do it, he wouldn’t. Even Skye had said that the boy was stubborn just like Grant, much to Grant’s demise. 

“Please?”

“Dada!”

Grant almost fell off the couch, but then he realized that it wasn’t Adian who had said it. He looked up to see Skye standing in the doorway with Ava in her arms, the little girl smiling at him as Max let out a happy bark.

“Dada! Dada!” Ava repeated, holding her arms out towards him. She squealed as Skye began walking towards him. 

“Grant Douglas, were you just pleading with our son?” Skye asked, handing Ava to him as Grant shifted Adian to one knee. “He’s eight months old.”

Grant shrugged, “I was just trying to get him to say ‘dada’.” he answered simply. “But, he did say Max in a way, though.”

Skye blinked in surprise, “He did?”

“Yeah, show her, Adian. Say ‘Max’.” Grant pointed to the black shepherd to move Adian’s attention. 

“Ma!”

Skye almost gasped, “Adian! You did it!” she exclaimed. “Your first word!” She gave him a little clap, “Too bad it wasn’t recorded.” She pretty much shot Grant a glare for that.

“Ah, not exactly. I think he did say ‘dada’ earlier. Max is just the only thing I’ve been able to get him to repeat.” Grant stated. He looked at Adian with a frown, “And I thought that you loved me. It’s just my body heat you like, isn’t it?”

“Grant, he’s a baby.”

“Still.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Grant, he’ll say it sooner or later. These things just take time. Jemma did say that all babies progress differently. Well, I think that’s what she said.” she stated with a slight pause. “That’s what I got from all that science jargon she was throwing at us.”

“Well, I’m gonna make sure that he does it quickly. I  _ do  _ read to them every night, you know.” Grant continued, beginning to bounce the twins, causing them to giggle loudly. “He’s what I call a work in progress.”

“Grant, not everyone is a genius when it comes to languages. I’m just surprised that they didn’t come out of the womb talking in full sentences.” Skye took a breath. “Again, these things just take time. Don’t expect him to learn things overnight.” She turned on her heels, “Anyways, I’ve got to go get the groceries out of the car.”

Grant raised an eyebrow, “You need help?” he asked. “I can put them in their play crib thing.”

“I think I’ve got it, babe. Just keep doing whatever it was that you were doing.” Skye answered, walking out of the room and leaving them alone.

Grant mumbled to himself and returned his attention to the two babies in his arms, “Alright, now. Where were we?” he asked, giving the two a big, goofy smile. “Oh, yeah, we need to get Adian to say ‘dada’!” he said in a strange voice that made the twins laugh. “Ava, say it for him, please? Say ‘dada’!”

Ava showed him a toothy smile, “Dada!” she exclaimed. “Dada!”

Grant smiled and kissed sloppily on the cheek, “There you go!” He turned his attention over the Adian, “Your turn. Can you say ‘dada’?”

Adian just looked at him blankly. 

“Dada?”

The little boy suddenly smiled, “Ma!”

Grant grimaced, “Oh well, doesn’t hurt to try.” he mumbled. “Maybe tomorrow….”

“Ma! Ma!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that it's short, but it should still suffice! That's the glory of oneshots, I can keep them short and to the point and still have them cute! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	4. What's One More Puppy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ward household gets one more family member.

“Ma!”

Grant smiled and held Adian close to his chest, looking into the kennel, “Yes, Adian, he looks like Max, but he’s not Max.” he stated simply, pointing towards the small puppy. “He’s even a different color than him.”

“Grant, he’s one and a half. He’s not going to understand what you’re saying. They both seem to like him, so let’s just go with him.” Skye explained, walking over with Ava in her arms. She looked down towards the little girl, “Ava, do you like the puppy?” she asked, pointing at the young German shepherd in the kennel. 

Ava squealed and held a chubby hand out towards the dog, “Doggy!” she screamed happily. “Doggy!”

Grant sighed and raised an eyebrow, “Well, that’s definitely a good answer.” he stated. “ I don’t think it gets any better than that. Adian’s already expressed his opinion. Only because he thinks the puppy looks just like Max. We’ll definitely need to come up with a very simple name that they can say. It’s  _ their  _ dog after all.”

Skye looked towards the little puppy, whom of which was staring up at them, wagging his tail very happily, “Oh yeah, definitely. But, you know…. I was thinking that Captain would be cute for a name.” She smiled, “Adian loves Captain America already, and both he and Ava can say ‘Cap’ already.”

Grant blinked and pondered the suggestion for a bit. He did like the name and it was true that both of the twins could already say ‘Cap’ due to Adian’s already-massive obsession over the Avenger, thanks to Coulson himself. And he did have to admit that he did really like the idea. The twins were just far too young for them to be able to come up with a name, so at least Skye had already had something planned out. 

He eventually nodded, “Yeah, that sounds good.” he stated. “Adian, Ava.” he said firmly to get the twins’ attention. He pointed at the young puppy, “Captain. His name is Captain.”

Adian’s head perked up at the name of his favorite Avenger, “Cap! Cap!” he squealed, clapping his little hands together in excitement. “Cap!”

Ava stared at her brother, the look on her face causing Skye to giggle. The little girl looked back up at her mother, “Cap?” she asked.

Skye smiled and nodded, “Yes, the puppy’s name is Captain.” she repeated for her, hoping that she would start to understand the puppy’s full name if she said it enough. “Captain.”

“Well, seems like you guys have finally picked out the puppy that you like.”

Grant looked up, slightly startled as he saw one of the shelter workers come up to him, “Oh…. Uh, yeah. We did.” he answered, scratching the back of his head. He pointed at the young shepherd. “We chose him.”

The worked nodded, “Good choice. But you do know that German shepherds get a lot bigger, right?” he asked. “Not being condescending or anything, it’s just that we’ve had a lot of cases of where big dogs were brought back when they got bigger because families weren’t prepared to deal with them.”

Grant nodded in reply, “Yeah. we have a shepherd at home, but he’s more of my service dog. So, we figured that we would get a dog that these two could play with more.” he began to explain. “When our other dog can’t.”

“He’s got a lot of trauma-related issues.” Skye continued for Grant so he didn’t have to. “Our other dog has to be able to respond and help if he starts having a panic attack. Which would be kind of hard for him to do with two babies trying to mess with him.”

“Oh, sounds good.” the worker replied, deciding that it wasn’t his place to ask anymore questions about it. “Well, if you like, you can go ahead and take him out of the kennel. You can take him with us to go fill out the paperwork.”

“Okay.” Grant handed Adian to Skye as she shifted Ava to one arm. He turned around to open the kennel, smiling as the puppy jumped up on him, “Hey, boy.” he cooed. “Yes, you’re going home with us now.” He gently picked up the puppy and turned back around with him, holding him carefully in his arms. 

“Pup!” Ava screeched loudly, wriggling excitedly in Skye’s arms. “Pup! Pup!”

“Shhh….” Grant said gently, walking over. “Don’t scream. Be gentle with the puppy. Be gentle like how you are with Max. Okay?”

Grant reached out with one hand and took Adian’s hand, gesturing for Skye to do the same with Ava, and placed it gently on the puppy’s back, “Gentle.” he repeated. “Be nice with Captain.”

Both Adian and Ava smiled and squealed as their hands touched the puppy’s fur. They were just like their father when it came to dogs. And, honestly, that was the only thing Skye hoped that they got from him. Well, Adian was a splitting image of his father after all….

Grant took a step back and held Captain close to his chest, “Alright, we have to do a few more things before we go home with him, okay?” he asked. “It won’t take that long. Then you can play. But, we’ll have to get some toys first.”

“Oh, we provide a supply basket to anyone adopting a puppy.” the worker stated. “It’s got food, a bed, a collar and leash, and several toys. It’s a good starter.”

Skye smiled, “Oh, that sounds great!” she exclaimed. “Saves us one trip from the store.”

The worker smiled, “Alright, if you’re ready, just follow me.” He began to lead them out of the kennel area. 

The twins squealed again as Captain let out a sharp bark, causing both Skye and Grant to smile. 

They knew that the twins would absolutely love the dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that it's short again, but most of these oneshots will be! The next one should be a Father's Day themed one, so watch out for that! And I'll try to update another fic soon. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	5. It's Your Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant celebrates Father's Day with Skye and the twins.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Grant’s eyes flung open as something collided with his chest and Max let out a sharp, disgruntled bark. He huffed as he sat up, his eyes meeting two sets of bright brown eyes, causing him to smile. 

“And there’s the little devils. Up and early I see.” Grant wrapped his arms around the twins, drawing them close, “Did Mommy tell you to wake me up?”

“Yep!” Adian exclaimed. “She got ‘cakes!”

A smile pulled at his lips, “She made pancakes?” he asked, his eyes settling on the two almost three year olds. Well, they wouldn’t be three until the fall. “That’s strange. I usually make the pancakes. Why did she make them?”

“She said they a surprise!” Ava giggled. “She said it Daddy Day!”

Grant blinked. Oh yeah, he forgot. It was Father’s Day. He still wasn’t used to celebrating it yet, even though this was his third. It was gonna take a while for that to be something he was used to. 

“Oh, it is?” he asked, placing a kiss on Ava’s cheek, causing her to giggle again. “Is she almost done?”

“Yeah, I’m done.”

Grant looked up to see Skye carrying a tray into the room. He smiled, “Oh, so it’s breakfast in bed again?” he asked. “Boy, am I spoiled.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Whatever, Grant. Kids, move over so I can place this next to Daddy.” she stated. “He’s got to eat. You’ve already eaten.”

“Daddy got no shirt!” Adian yelled as he scooted over. “He nakey!”

“Adian, I have pants on, you know. You just can’t see them.” Grant said as he sat up more to allow Skye to give him the tray. “I sleep with no shirt on. I get too hot otherwise.”

“You nakey.”

Skye rolled her eyes again, “I swear, he has no filter. I wonder just who he gets that from.” She narrowed her eyes and looked at Grant with a smirk. “But here, please put a shirt on before they say something else.” She handed him his shirt that had been laying on their dresser. 

Grant placed the tray aside and slipped the shirt on, “Ugh, whatever. But if I overheat, it’s Adian’s fault.” he retorted, placing the tray back on his lap and turning his attention to the food, “What kind of ‘cakes’ are they, guys?”

“‘Umpkin!” Adian exclaimed. “That you favorite!”

Grant smiled, “It totally is.” he said in response. “What else is there?”

“Uh… Bacon and milk!” Ava stated triumphantly. “And berries!”

“Well, it all looks really yummy.” Grant looked over to Skye, “Did they help?”

“More like they got some of the stuff out for me. They’re not even three yet, Grant. I’m not trusting them with food for another few years.” she answered, pulling up the chair from the other side of the room and sitting down, leaving room for the twins on the bed. “I hope I made them right. I couldn’t find that recipe that you wrote down.”

“Well, I thought it was on the fridge.” Grant stated, cutting off a piece of pancake and popping it into his mouth. He smiled as he swallowed, “But, you must’ve really paid attention to whenever I was making them. They taste great!”

Skye blushed, “Well, I  _ did  _ have a great teacher after all.” she commented with a smile. 

“Rookie. Still a rookie, though.”

“Grant, we are the same exact SHIELD level. I haven’t been a rookie in a long time.”

“Technically, we’re not full-time SHIELD agents anymore, Skye.” Grant continued to eat. “We’re only called out when they absolutely need us. And that’s only every now and then.”

“Whatever. You get the gist.”

Grant rolled his eyes and ate some more before he stopped and looked straight at the twins, “Hey, I thought there’s supposed to be presents involved here.” he stated. “Where’s the presents?”

Skye laughed and shook her head, “You two can go get them. They’re in the living room and they’re not that heavy.” she stated, watching as the two kids jumped up and ran out of the room at full speed, Captain not too far behind them. 

Grant turned as he felt something on his arm, seeing Max pawing him. The five-year-old shepherd was looking at him, begging for a bite to eat. Grant laughed, “Did you not eat, boy?” he asked, giving the dog a piece of strawberry. 

“Oh, both he and Captain ate. They wolfed everything down. He just likes strawberries.”

Grant smiled again and gave Max a little bit more, “He’s spoiled, just like those two other little monsters.” he stated. “Speaking of which, they’re taking awhile just to go to the living room.”

Skye sighed and shook her head, “Adian! Ava! Where are you? I told you the living room! Not anywhere else!”

“Comin’!” 

The two suddenly came running into the room with Captain, carrying two very big bags. They managed to get them up on the bed before jumping on the bed themselves. 

“You gotta ope’ them, Daddy!” Adian stated. “They presents!”

“I see that.” Grant placed the tray aside on the bedside table so Max or Captain couldn’t get to the scraps of food. “What cha’ get me!”

“You gotta ope’ them!” Adian repeated, pointing at the shiny bags. “Ope’ them!”

Grant’s smile grew as he reached for the bags. He paused and took a moment to study the twins. They both wore big, toothy smiles and were trying to reach for the bags to ‘help’ him open them. He laughed and told them that he could do it himself. His heart swelled as they laughed and he was reminded to why he now loved this day. 

He had everything in the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not quite what I wanted it to be, but it's still cute! And I hope it you find it the same way! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	6. Ready, Aim, Fire!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and the twins have some fun in the backyard.

“Daddy, can we go outside? I wanna swing.”

Grant looked down as he felt a tug on his pants leg and sat aside the book he was reading for Ava. He smiled as he saw Adian staring up at him. The little boy had been playing with Max and Captain while his father and Ava read since he had been already read to. “What’s the magic word?” Grant asked the three year old. 

“Pease.”

He smiled, “Good. Ava, would you like to go outside for a while?” he asked, looking at the little girl. “We’ve been reading for a while and Mommy won’t be home for a couple of hours.”

Ava nodded, “Yeah.” she stated, hopping down from her father’s lap. “Can we both swing?”

“I don’t see why not.” Grant said, standing up. “But not for too long. Then we have to come back inside and get cleaned up so we can cook dinner.”

“I want sketti.” Adian announced loudly. “With balls.”

“With ‘meatballs’, Adian. Not just balls.” Grant sighed quietly, rolling his eyes. “You want spaghetti and meatballs.”

“Yeah!”

Grant shook his head, “I’ll see what I can do.” He turned, “Max, Captain, let’s go outside for a while. Time to potty.” 

The two shepherds jumped up and followed the three as they headed outside. Adian and Ava practically barrelled towards their swing set, causing Grant to run after them. 

“Daddy, you gotta push!” Ava yelled as he caught up with them. “Hard push!”

Grant took a breath and stood behind the two, watching and Max and Captain went to the bathroom. He began pushing lightly, building up a good momentum so he wouldn’t push the twins out of the swings with his brute strength. He smiled as they screeched and giggled. Their laughs could always pick him up, even when he was suffering with his depression or his anxiety. So, he was really glad that they were around.

“Okay, we’re not going to stay out here long. Like I said, we’ve got to get cleaned up before we make dinner. Mommy’s had a long day and I’m sure that she’ll like to eat right when she gets home.” Grant announced after a while. “We’ll have spaghetti with salad. You two can help.”

“With balls!” Adian exclaimed again, making Grant roll his eyes once more.

“Meatballs, Adian.” 

Grant sighed and pushed them a little longer before Adian announced that he wanted off. Grant stopped and stepped back, allowing the two toddlers to jump off the swings. He frowned as Adian turned to face him.

“Daddy, fire.”

He blinked, “Huh?” he asked, coming from around the swing and crouching down in front of the little boy. “Fire?”

Adian pointed at his father’s hands, “Fire.” he repeated. “Pease?”

“You wanna see my flames?” Grant asked, confusion in his voice. “Adian, we can’t do that. It’s dangerous. And we don’t want Mommy mad at us for doing something bad, do we?”

“Pease?” Adian pleaded, beating his chubby little hand on his father’s leg. “I wan’ ‘ricks.”

Grant stifled a chuckle. It was hard for Adian to say his ‘T’s right now. “You want to see my ‘tricks’?”

Adian nodded vehemently, “Yeah!”

“I wanna see tricks.” Ava stated, toddling up next to her brother. “Pease.”

Grant blew out a long breath, “Guys, I already told you that it was dangerous. Not a good idea.” he began. “I,”

“Pease!!!” the two of them yelled, beating on Grant’s leg with their hands. “Pease!”

“Hmmm…. Fine.” Grant stood up and looked around. “But we’ve got to get away from the very flammable swing set, okay? That means it can catch fire and burn down.”

He led them to the middle of the yard where there was nothing wooden that he could accidently burn. “Okay, back up some. You can’t be too close.” He nodded once the twins were both a few feet away, “That’s good. Stop.”

“Fire, Daddy!” Adian exclaimed. “Pease!”

Grant gently held out his hand and let a small flame appear, causing the two toddlers to squeal in excitement. He willed the flame to change shapes, further adding to their awe. Grant didn’t want to go to overboard with them like he could do in a battle. This was good enough for two three year olds. 

“Big!” Ava shouted. “Big!”

With yet another sigh, Grant let the flame grow slightly in size, but not too much bigger. “Don’t get closer.” he warned as he noticed that they were starting to inch their way towards him. “I told you to stay right there. I,”

“Grant Douglas Ward, what on Earth are you doing?!”

The flame in Grant’s palm flared up and quickly snuffed out as he turned to see Skye standing in the doorway into the kitchen, a stern and angry look on her face with both Max and Captain next to her. He waved awkwardly, “Hey, honey. How was your day?”

“Well, it was going well.”

“Mommy!” Adian and Ava both screeched, running towards Skye. She smiled slightly as they clung themselves to her legs. 

Grant slowly stood up and scratched the back of his head, not sure of what to say.

Skye sucked in a sharp breath, “Grant, what did we say about using powers around the kids?” she asked, crossing her arms. 

“That it was dangerous and not to do it?”

She nodded, “Bingo.”

“Look,” Grant began, pointed at the twins. “It was their idea and I wasn’t about to have them upset. They begged me, Skye. They even said please. And I made sure that they weren’t close and that there wasn’t anything flammable around. We were just about to go inside and clean-up. Didn’t expect you home so soon.”

“I got the coding project for Coulson done faster than I thought.” Skye leaned down and scooped up the twins. “So I got to come home earlier.”

“We were even going to make spaghetti.” Grant continued, making his way over towards them. 

“With balls!” Adian repeated for the umpteenth time. 

“Meatballs.” Grant corrected. “Are… Are you mad?”

“Not mad, just upset.” Skye stated, walking over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “We’ve discussed this time and time again. We don’t need to be using our powers around the kids.”

“My flames don’t hurt you. So there’s no way that they could hurt them.”

“Do you really want to take that chance?”

“No.”

She smiled and turned around, “Exactly. At least don’t use them around them until they’re older and  _ not  _ wild toddlers.” she stated, carrying the twins inside the house with Grant following her.

“Mommy, can I fire?” Adian asked as they came into the kitchen. 

Skye stopped and looked down at the little boy, “Can you fire?” she repeated, not sure of what he was asking.

“He’s asking if he has fire powers, too.” Grant cleared up, taking Ava from her, illicting a squeal from the little girl. “I think.”

“Oh God, I hope not. One fire-flinging hothead is enough for this family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And hopefully I'll have another one up soon! I don't quite have a clear idea for one just yet, so it might be a few days. But I'll work on updating other stuff until then! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	7. Lazy Days?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye want to have a lazy day, but the twins want to see their Papa more.

“Daddy, can Papa and Nana come over?”

Grant blinked and looked down to the four year old who was currently curled up in his lap, “Adian, I think Papa’s busy with something today.” he answered simply. “He’s got a very important meeting.”

“What’s a meetin’?” Ava asked from Skye’s lap. “Is he playin’?”

Skye smiled and gently shook her head, running her fingers through the little girl’s hair, “No, pumpkin. Meetings aren’t for playing. A meeting is where a bunch of grown-ups get together and talk about very important things.” she explained. “Your Papa has to do a lot of those. He’s a very important person.”

Adian’s face crunched up, “I want him to come play superheroes.” he stated. “Can he come later?”

“We’ll call him later and see.” Skye stated, adjusting Ava in her lap. “But don’t be upset if he can’t come.”

Adian pouted, “But I want him to come. He likes to be Cap!”

At the sound of his name, Captain sat up and barked, looking over to the little boy. Skye smiled again.

“Captain, he didn’t mean you, boy. Go back to sleep with Max.”

Captain huffed and laid back down next to the still-sleeping Max, clearly upset that his nap had been disturbed.

“Well, maybe Daddy can be Cap.” Skye continued, looking at Adian. “How about that?”

Adian shook his head vehemently, “No! Papa is Cap!” he exclaimed, wriggling in his father’s arms. “Daddy can’t be Cap!”

Grant narrowed his eyes, “And why’s that?” he asked, curious. 

“Cap don’t have fire!”

“Oh, I see. Fair point.”

Grant leaned back further into the sofa, letting Adian snuggle into his chest. “But I think little superheroes need a nap now before we can even think about Papa and Nana.” he stated, running a gentle finger down the boy’s cheek. 

“No, don’t wanna. Stay here.” Adian protested. “Daddy warm.”

Grant sighed and looked over to Skye with an eyebrow raised, “Then how about a lazy day? We’ll just stay on the couch for a while.” he suggested. “You can sleep if you want to. How about that?”

Skye stretched out, letting Ava rest her head against her chest, “I’m fine with that. We were gone all day yesterday due to that impromptu mission Coulson had us do, so I’m fine with snuggling with my babies.” she said. “I need a break.”

“Mmm… I like that idea. And that way, Adian gets what he wants.” Grant looked back down to the little boy, who already had his eyes closed. “Are we sure that he’s not pyrokinetic as well?”

“Grant, you know that’s not how Inhuman abilities work.”

“Yeah, but still.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “He just likes being warm. That’s all.” She grunted as Ava crawled off of her lap, elbowing her in the stomach, “Ava, sweetie, where are you going?” she asked.

“I want Daddy.”

She frowned, feeling kind of hurt, “Baby, he’s already got a lap full of Adian.” she stated. “I don’t think,”

“Skye, it’s fine. They both can fit as long as Adian moves over.” Grant cut in, carefully moving the little boy over to his left side so Ava could crawl into his lap as well. “Hi, pumpkin.”

“Hi, Daddy.” Ava said, snuggling against his chest as well.

“So what, I get left for a walking space heater?” Skye asked, touching her chest. “That hurts. It really does.”

Grant smirked, “Sorry you don’t have a built-in toddler heating system like I do.” he joked. “At least it keeps them quiet and calm. Maybe long enough for them to fall asleep and then I can really put them down for their nap. Then, maybe, we can have some time alone together for a while.”

That made Skye smile, “Oh, please. We definitely need to get someone to watch them sometime so we can go out or something.” she began. “Maybe Fitz and Jemma. Coulson’s been pretty busy lately….”

“Papa?” Ava’s head jerked up. “I still want Papa!”

That caused Adian to perk up as well, “Papa!”

Grant sighed, “There goes the nap I was hoping for.” he mumbled. “Guys, Papa is busy. But I guess that we can check or something.” He mumbled even more as he pulled out his phone, “Maybe he can call us or something….”

_ “Hey, can you spare a few minutes to talk or Facetime?”  _ he typed out.  _ “The twins really want to see you right this minute for some reason or another.” _

A few seconds passed before a reply popped up.

_ “Sure. I’ve got about thirty minutes until my next meeting. Go ahead.” _

“Look we’ll Facetime Papa and you’ll be able to see him.” Grant announced, opening the app for Facetime. “Is that good?” He pressed call and held the phone out so the twins could see it as he readjusted them in his lap and gave Skye an exasperated look. 

“Papa!” the twins squealed as Coulson’s face filled the screen. “Daddy, it’s Papa!”

Coulson smiled, “So I hear that some kids want to talk to me, right?” he asked. 

“Papa, can you come over?” Adian asked, leaning in towards the phone screen. “I wanna play superheroes. Daddy not Cap.”

“Adian, you don’t have to be that close to the screen, son.” Grant stated, gently pulling Adian back. “Papa can see you just fine.”

Coulson laughed, “Hmmm. I don’t think I can today, Adian.” he answered. “Papa’s very, very busy right now. Maybe tomorrow or the next day.”

“Superheroes?” Adian asked again.

“Yes, we can play superheroes then.”

“What Papa doin’?” Ava asked, peering at the phone screen. “Where Nana?”

“Nana’s busy doing something else.” Coulson answered. “So, she’s not here right now, Ava. And Papa’s helping put something together.”

“Like Legos?”

Coulson rolled his eyes as Skye snickered, “No, not like Legos. Hmmm….” He tried to think of the best way to explain it to the four year old. “I’m helping do something that helps Inhumans.”

Ava blinked, “Why?”

“Because they need some help right now.”

“Why?”

Grant frowned, “Ava, it’s a lot for you. Let’s not ask Papa about it, okay?” 

Ava pouted, “Okay.”

“Papa, can Nana come too?” Adian asked, butting his way back into the conversation. “I want Nana.”

“I don’t see why not.” Coulson gave the twins another soft smile. Hearing them talk really brought his mood up. “I’ll talk to her later.” He looked down for a second as something beeped offscreen, “Oops. Seems like I got to go, guys. Someone needs me to do something.”

“Papa gotta go?” Ava asked, curling back into Grant’s chest.

He nodded, “Yep. I gotta go.”

“Okay,” Grant began. “Say bye-bye to Papa.”

“Bye-bye, Papa!” the both of them yelled, waving at the phone. “Love you!”

“I love you, too. Grant, where’s Skye?” Coulson asked, turning his attention towards the man. “I don’t see her.”

“I’m over here!” Skye exclaimed as Grant turned the phone’s camera towards her. “The little monsters were hogging all the attention.”

Coulson nodded, “Well, like always.” he stated. “But, I just wanted to check. But I really do have to go, seems like the meeting is going to start sooner than I thought.”

“Please come over when you do have the chance.” Skye almost pleaded. “So these two can be happy.”

“Will do.”

Grant and Skye said their goodbyes and Grant disconnected the call, placing his phone aside. 

“Alright, where were we?” he asked, looking at Adian and Ava once again. “You got your talk with Papa, so I think it’s time for a proper nap.”

“I wanna stay here!” Adian protested once more, wriggling in his father’s arms. “Here!”

“Adian, stop movin’!” Ava yelled, moving away from her twin brother. “That hurt!”

“You too close!”

“Am not!”

“Too close!”

Grant took a sharp breath, “Alright, nap time!” he yelled. “No more fighting!” He stood up, scooping up the twins in his massive arms. “Before anyone gets too grumpy!”

Skye stifled a laugh as she watched her husband carry her two children off kicking and screaming. She sighed and smiled as both Max and Captain jumped up next to her on the couch. She reached out and petted them both.

“So much for that quiet and lazy day, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I'll have another one up soon! My next big idea for this is Skye's birthday! So hopefully that'll be a good one! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	8. Doggy Playtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson and May watch their grandkids play around.

“Bang! Bang! I got you, Papa!”

Coulson flinched and looked down right as a Nerf dart hit him square in the chest. He smiled and faked a fall to the ground, clutching his chest as Adian ran up to him with a Nerf bow. “Oh!” he fake-moaned. “You got me! You took me down, Adian!”

Adian gave him a toothy smile, “Ava, get Papa!” he yelled. “He the bad guy!”

“I’m not Ava! I’m Thor!” Ava shouted back, holding a fake Mjolnir in her hand. “You Hawkeye! Papa’s Loki, Adian!”

Adian scrunched up his nose, “Thor, get Loki!” He motioned towards the fallen Coulson with his fake bow, “We gonna win!”

“Hey!” Coulson yelled out in pain as he was tackled by the two toddlers. He reached out and wrapped his arms around them, sitting up and letting them go, “Alright, that’s enough. You’re hurting Papa. Let’s do something a little more gentle now.” He picked up the ball that what laying in the grass next to him, “How about you two play with the dogs?” he suggested. “Papa’s getting too old for rough-housing.”

Both Adian and Ava pouted, clearly upset that their Papa had ended their game early. They were used to being able to play roughly with their father, whom of which could take a lot more pain and damage than Coulson could.

“I bet Max and Captain would love to play ball.” Coulson continued, standing up and going back over to the chair he had been sitting in before the twins wanted to play superheroes with him. “How about you do that?”

“Okay.” Adian toddled over and took the ball from his Papa. “Max! Cap! Got a ball!”

“Adian, hand me the bow, please.” Coulson stated before the toddler could run off, holding a hand out. “Don’t need to be running around with that. Same goes for you, Ava. Hand me Mjolnir.”

The twins pouted again as they handed their toys over to Coulson. Coulson smiled and placed them aside. 

“We’ll take them inside later when we’re done. Don’t forget about them.” Coulson pointed at the ball in Adian’s hand, “Go ahead and throw it. They’ll bring it back to you.” He smiled again as the two ran off further into the yard.

“Get it, Max!” Adian yelled, throwing the small ball the best he could. Max barked and ran after it, picking it up in his mouth and bringing it back to the twins. “Cap, you gotta get it!”

“Phil, did I just hear you call yourself old?”

Coulson blinked and looked up, seeing May walking out the back door and heading over towards him, “I had to give them a reason to why I didn’t want to rough-house.” he answered. “They’re used to playing like that with their father. Grant is more immune to pain than I am.” He shrugged, “It worked well.”

“Ava, you gotta throw it big!” Adian yelled, meaning for his sister to throw the ball far. “Max like to run!”

“I did, Adian!” 

“Did not!

“I throwed it!”

“Not big!”

Coulson rolled his eyes, “You know if you asked me a few years ago what I saw myself doing, there would be no way in hell I’d never think I would be babysitting Grant Ward’s twin children.” he began. “Funny how things change. I never really thought about that.”

May smirked and pulled up another chair, sitting down, “Yet, you love it.” she stated. “It’s a weird thing to think about, but it’s not a bad thing. It’s moments like these where you really do think letting Ward out of that cell was the best thing you could do.”

“I didn’t think we would end up being the honorary grandparents to his and Skye’s children.” Coulson continued to watch Adian and Ava, smiling as they squealed as Max and Captain bounded up to them. “Never in a million years.”

“Well, it goes to show that things can really turn out really, really well sometimes. Even if you don’t think they will.” May sighed. “And they’re going to get dirty if they keep playing like that, Phil.”

Coulson drew in a sharp breath, frowning as Adian and Ava both decided to start rolling around in the grass with Max and Captain, kicking up a mini dust storm. “Great. We still have to get them to eat before they have their baths.”

May motioned towards the house with a nod of her head, “Dinner’s about done.” she stated. “It’s probably best that we go ahead and get them in before they’re too dirty.”

“Fine.” Coulson replied with a slow nod. He sighed and stood to his feet, “Adian! Ava! It’s time to go in! Nana’s got dinner ready!” he called. “Time to eat!”

Ava stopped and turned to look at her Papa, “But we wanna play, Papa!” she protested. “Not hungry!”

“I’m hungry!” Adian dropped the ball he was holding and ran towards his Papa. “What we eatin’?”

Coulson smiled and bent down to pick up the little boy, glad that he wasn’t too dirty, “That’s a surprise.” He looked back towards Ava, “Ava, Adian wants to eat. That means you need to eat, too.” 

“I don’t wanna.”

“Ava, you don’t want me to call your parents in the middle of their mission, do you? I don’t think that they’ll like that very much.” 

“No.”

Coulson sighed, “Then come on. We gotta eat before you two get baths and go to bed.” he said as Ava ran up to them, wrapping her arms around May’s leg. 

“When Mommy and Daddy be here?” Ava asked as May picked her up. 

“Not until tomorrow. They’re still busy fighting bad guys.” May answered, following Coulson into the house. “We’ll leave in the morning and Auntie Elena and Uncle Mack are bringing Lucia tomorrow for a playdate.”

“Lucia comin’?!” Adian exclaimed, wriggling in Coulson’s arms. “We gonna play superheroes!”

“I wanna play Legos!” Ava protested, glaring at her brother. “No superheroes!”

“I don’t wanna play Legos!”

“Papa! Nana! No superheroes.”

Coulson rolled his eyes, “I’m sure you three can come up with something that you’ll all like.” he answered, trying his best to avoid an argument between the two four year olds. “Auntie Elena and Uncle Mack can help you guys decide. But for now, it’s dinner time.” He sat Adian down as May sat Ava down at the kitchen table. “Eat and then it’s bath time.”

“Paw Patrol?” Adian asked, looking at both Coulson and May. “Pease? Max and Cap likes it too.”

Coulson looked at May, who just gave him a small nod,  before looking back at the twins, “Fine. You can watch  _ some  _ Paw Patrol before bedtime. But just a little bit. Your Mommy and Daddy won’t like you two staying up too late.”

“Yay!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this was originally going to be mainly the twins playing with Max and Captain, but I decided to add Coulson and May in there. But it still works great! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	9. A Present Holds the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye receives a birthday gift that means the world to her and Grant.

“Grant, why did we have to stay out so long?” Skye asked, carefully taking Ava out of her carseat. “My feet hurt.”

Grant raised an eyebrow, “Skye, you’re a freaking Inhuman superhero and you’re complaining about your feet hurting?” he asked, placing Adian on the ground as Max and Captain jumped out. “You’re not that old yet.”

“Spending the day out on the town was  _ definitely  _ not how I imagined my 34th birthday, Grant. “Lunch was good and all, but still. When I think of my birthday, I think of relaxation and fun. Not dragging two four year olds into two different toy stores.”

He shrugged, “Hey, at least it got them to shut up.” he stated, shutting the doors of his truck. “I didn't want two whiny toddlers.”

“I got Chase!” Adian exclaimed, holding up a toy German shepherd from  _ Paw Patrol.  _

“I got Skye!” Ava held up a toy cocker spaniel from the same show. “She got Mommy's name!”

Skye smiled, “Well, I'll let that slide. Only because I like that dog's name.” she replied, holding Ava close and heading towards the house. “But still, I imagined having someone babysit these two and then us going out for a very nice dinner or something.”

“Well, we can still do that tomorrow or the next day if you want.” Grant stated, stopping right behind Skye as she began to open the front door. “I’m sure that  _ someone  _ would be willing to watch them.”

“Why not tonight? We’ve still got a few hours.”

“Because we already have plans.”

Skye stopped, turning to look at Grant with the door half-open, “Grant, what are you talking about?” she asked. “We don’t have any plans. We just spent the  _ entire  _ day out and about. What else could you possibly want to do?”

Grant shrugged, “Oops. Me and my big mouth.” he said with a slight smile, letting Adian run into the house. “Oh well.”

“Grant, what are you-”

“Unca’ Fizz!”

Skye’s stomach fell, “Fitz?” She turned back around to see the entire team standing in their living room as the twins threw their new toys to the side, balloons and confetti floating all around them. She blinked in confusion as they all smiled at her. 

“Surprise! Happy birthday!”

She looked back to Grant for an answer as Ava squealed in delight in her arms, “Grant?”

He smiled sheepishly, “I told you that we had plans.” he stated, motioning for her to head in the house, taking Ava from her. “I wasn’t making anything up.”

A smile grew on her face as she walked into the living room, “Oh, guys, what’s all of this?” she asked. “You… You didn’t have to do this.”

“Honestly, it was all Grant’s idea.” Trip stated, speaking up. “We just rolled with it and put things together.”

“So today was just one big distraction then?” Skye asked, turning to look at Grant. “Did the twins know?”

Grant shook his head, “No. Do you really think that I would trust them with something like that?” he asked, gently sitting Ava down on the ground and petting an excited Max and Captain. “Not at all. This was just between me and them.” He pointed at the rest of the team.

“Auntie ‘Kye!” 

Skye looked down as Lucia ran up to her and clung herself around one of her legs, “Hey there, baby.” she said gently, placing a hand on top of the four year old’s head. “Is Elle here, too?”

“‘Kye!”

“Oh, there she is!” Skye smiled as Elle ran from behind Fitzsimmons’ legs, running towards her. The two year old clung herself to her free leg. “How are you?” she asked. Elle hugged her leg tighter. She wasn’t much of a talker right now, unlike her parents. Elle, or Eleanor (named after her grandmother, Fitz’s mother), liked when things were quiet, but did like to play when Adian, Ava, and Lucia were around. 

“She’s had her nap.” Fitz spoke up. “So she should be fine. Let the tots run around for a bit so we can have our own fun.”

“Fitz, I swear if you brought alcohol…” Skye shook her head. “You know I don’t like to have alcohol around the kids. It’s one thing if they were somewhere else, but they’re all right here.”

“Skye, relax. There’s no alcohol here.” Grant came up and put a hand on her shoulder. “But, Mack and Coulson have been cooking all day, so there should be a lot of good food.”

“Well, some of it is still cooking.” Coulson admitted, scratching the back of his head. “Elle and Lucia distracted us some, so we weren’t on time with it all like we wanted it to be. So, you’ll have to do something else for the time being.”

“Momma, look! You got presents!” Adian shouted, pointed excitedly over towards a small pile of gifts. “Open them, Mommy!”

Skye looked towards Grant, who only gave her a shrug. “It’s your party, babe.” he stated. “You can do whatever you want. But, you might want to let Adian decide so he doesn’t start screaming about it.”

“Adian,” May began, calling the little boy over. “How about you take your sister and go outside with Elle, Lucia, and the dogs? Give Mommy some time to relax.”

“But she gotta open her presents!”

“May, it’s alright. I can go ahead and open them if the food isn’t quite ready.” Skye said, walking over to the couch and sitting down. “Adian, Ava, you can hand me my gifts.”

“Wait! I’ve got to get the camera ready!” Coulson exclaimed, running into the kitchen. “We’ve got to have pictures!”

Simmons blinked, bending down to pick Elle up as the little girl ran up to her, “Coulson’s such a stickler for nostalgia, isn’t he?”

“You have seen his office, right?” Elena asked, watching Mack pick Lucia up. “He’s nothing but that.”

Skye shrugged, “Let the man take his pictures.” she stated, scooting over so Grant could sit right next to her. “Before he has a fit.”

Simmons shook her head, “I just don’t see why he doesn’t use his phone. Much-”

“Alright, got the camera!” Coulson shouted, cutting her off and running back into the room with a small camera in his hands. “Go ahead!”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Adian, Ava, hand me a gift.” She pointed at the stack of gifts, “It doesn’t matter which one.”

“This one big!” Adian exclaimed, picking up a somewhat-bulky box and handing it to her. “Open it!”

Fitz’s eyes lit up, “That one’s a combo gift from me and Trip. Kind of a gag gift, kind of not.” he exclaimed. “I guess you can choose which one it is.”

“Uh, okay then.” Skye began to peel at the wrapping paper, throwing the scraps aside. Her mouth fell open slightly as she peeled the paper away, revealing what was inside. She pulled the two boxes away from one another and stared at them, “It’s… It’s us…”

“Holy crap.” Grant mumbled. “These… These exist?”

They stared down at two boxed figurines. One marked Quake and the other Hellfire. 

Trip smiled, “They just came out. As soon and me and Fitz saw that they were a thing, we snatched them up.” he answered. “Guess it’s not really a gag gift afterall. But that really goes to show that you two are more popular than you think.”

Grant took the Hellfire figurine from Skye and stared at it. It was a highly-detailed replica of him. There was an attachable chain that could be wrapped around the torso. It even included his signature brown leather jacket. He rubbed his beard, “The… The thing’s even got a beard. How did they get so detailed with it?”

“Grant, we’re usually on the news a whole lot. Wouldn’t take much to get a decent photo of us.” Skye stated, looking at her own figurine. She wrinkled her nose, “Well, it’s got the short haircut, but oh well. Guess they used an older reference or something.” But, the figure had her gauntlets and SHIELD uniform. 

Adian and Ava looked at the figurines, thinking that they were toys.

“Mommy, that toy looks like you!” Ava shouted. “Why it look like you?”

“That one looks like Daddy!”

Grant smiled and reached out to ruffle Adian’s hair, “That’s because they  _ are  _ us, buddy.” he answered. “We’ll have to tell you the story another time.”

“Can we play with them?”

“No, these aren’t for playing with.”

“Toys you can’t play with?”

Skye nodded slowly, “They’re special, so they’ll go in a special place, sweetheart.” she stated softly. “So you don’t play with them.” She looked back up to Fitz and Mack, “Guys, these are amazing. I don’t know why you would think these would be a gag. I… I didn’t know that we were popular enough to have merch like this. I’ve seen a poster or two, but nothing like this.”

The two men smiled and Fitz was the one to speak up, “Well, I thought that it would be funny that we got you toys of yourself.” he answered. “Guess we really didn’t think to how much it would mean to you.”

“Well, Grant, you have better gotten me something  _ huge  _ to beat this.” Skye joked, elbowing him in the side. “But… But this is amazing. I love it.”

“Man, we’re all getting beat out for a set of toys!” Mack laughed, holding Lucia close. “We’ve really got to try a lot harder next time around!”

Skye shook her head, still staring at the two figurines and trying to comprehend it all. She had never realized that the were even  _ slightly  _ popular as heroes since they didn’t do hero work a whole lot due to the twins. But this really meant something. This meant that they meant something to the world. 

And, truly, that knowledge was the best gift anyone could give her. 

_ “This… This is going to be a damn amazing birthday.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's a belated birthday addition to this series for Skye! Tomorrow should be a 4th of July one that's actually kind of angsty. But with this one, I figured by a few years into the future, they would be well-known superheroes, they just wouldn't know it yet. So I rolled with it! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	10. Turning Things Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad run-in with fireworks makes Grant come to a big decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some language and discussion of PTSD in this chapter. Just a heads-up.

 

“I’m telling ya’ we don’t need Grant around the fireworks. He might set them off if he sneezes.”

Grant blinked and frowned, “Guys, I’m not that combustible.” he began, pointing at himself. “I haven’t set anything on fire with a sneeze in a long time.” He stared at the massive pile of pyrotechnics, wondering to just where Fitz had gotten them. But he figured that it was a question that didn’t need asking. “I’ll be fine. And besides, I’m your own personal lighter” He snapped his fingers, allowing a flame to ignite on his index finger, giving Fitz and Trip a massive smile.

“I dunno, man.” Trip began, eyeing the flame warily. “Like I’ve always said, never give a pyrokinetic pyromaniac any kind of pyrotechnics. Especially on the 4th of July.”

Fitz made a face a Trip, “I’ve never heard that saying.” he stated. “But, you do have a point. Grant, this is the first time we’ve tried fireworks in a while. Especially since you’ve gotten really confident with your flames. You’re a pyromaniac who also happens to be a walking lighter.”

“Grant, they point have a point. Let someone who doesn’t have a tendency to want to burn down everything in sight.” Skye stated, coming up and putting a hand on Grant’s shoulder. “That way, it’s safer for the kids. And speaking of the kids, do they all have earplugs?” she asked. “Especially Elle.”

Simmons nodded, “Mack and I have made sure that they all have them in properly.” she replied with a confident smile. “They should be fine. Coulson, May, and Elena all have them at the porch with both of your dogs, which is a safe distance from the fireworks. Everyone should be safe as long as someone other than Ward is the one to light them.”

“Hey! I’m not  _ that  _ destructive!” Grant protested, touching his chest as though he was hurt. “I’ll be careful!”

“Yeah, but I don’t want a mini bomb blowing up in your face, honey. Please let Fitz, Mack, or Trip take care of it. Preferably Mack.” Skye stated softly. “I’d rather have someone who isn’t a walking firestorm lighting the highly-dangerous fireworks.”

Grant pouted and stepped back, “Fine.” he huffed. “Have it your way, if it makes you happy.”

“Look, we light the fireworks with this,” Mack began, pulling out a lighter. “Not our fingers, Ward. Fitz, grab one of the bigger ones, we’ll start with that. Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Fine.” Fitz took one of the bigger firework setups and followed Mack several feet away from the pile. “Is here fine?”

Mack looked between where they were and to the pile, “Yeah, I think so.” he replied, leaning down. Just stand back.” He lit the fuse and quickly got up, backing away several feet.

The firework launched a shell in the air, exploding in a mass of color and sound, illicting squeals from the toddlers at the porch. But the explosion rocked Grant straight to his bones, pulling fear deep out of his mind.

Grant’s stomach started to churn as the explosion echoed in his ears and he felt weak as another one went off. “Ah…” His ears started to ring as the explosions kept going and it felt as though something was starting to squeeze his chest. Blood rushed in his ears and he felt sick and scared, and he suddenly couldn’t remember to where he was anymore.

_ “Dammit! The bomb won’t deactivate, Grant, we have to get the hell out of here!” _

_ “N-No we can’t! If I leave this bomb now, someone’s going to die! I don’t want that to happen! I can’t let that happen!” _

_ “Grant, if you can’t deactivate it, no one can! We have to go. Now!” _

Blood roared in his ears again.

_ “Oh, God. Oh, God. They’re dead. Skye! They’re fucking dead!” _

_ “Grant, you’ve got to calm down. You-” _

_ “You don’t get it do you?! Three SHIELD agents are dead and it’s my fault! I even got us caught in the blast! It’s all my fault! I-” _

“Grant! Grant!”

Grant blinked, his vision returning to him. He looked up, seeing Skye over him, realizing that he was somehow on the ground. “S-Skye.” he stammered, wiping at his face and finding that he was crying. “Too loud. M-Make it stop.”

Skye’s stomach froze and she looked at Fitz and Mack, shaking her head, “Guess the fireworks won’t work after all.” she stated quietly. “I didn’t think about this happening.”

“I-It’s too loud.” Grant sobbed, his body shaking. “I-I don’t like it. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. N-Not again. I…” He trailed off as a cold, wet nose suddenly pressed against his chin and his attention was drawn to Max, who was slowly getting close to him. Grant fell silent and wrapped his arms around the shepherd. 

Skye swallowed and nodded, understanding what had happened. She backed away from Grant, letting Max do what he was trained to do. Grant just needed some time to recover right now. She motioned for Fitz, Mack, and Trip to follow her back to the porch.

“Is… Is he okay?” Coulson asked, holding Adian in his arms. “He went ballistic there for a second. His flames were getting too close to that pile of fireworks.”

“Well… I didn’t think that fireworks would trigger a panic attack with him, but I think I understand to what happened.” Skye began slowly. “That mission last month. The one were the three agents died in the bomb blast. Grant blamed himself for their deaths and has been having nightmares ever since. The fireworks must’ve reminded him of them.”

“His PTSD must be flaring back up.” Simmons stated with a slight nod. “Things like that can trigger flashbacks and such, causing panic attacks.”

“Mommy, why is Daddy crying?” Ava asked, pulling at Skye’s pants leg. “Is he sad?”

“Does he need a story?” Adian asked as well. “We get stories when we’re sad.”

Skye looked down and smiled slightly, “He’s just remembering something bad, baby.” she answered. “He’ll be okay.” She looked back up to the others, “Can some of you take the kids inside?” she asked. “I don’t want any of them seeing Grant like this.”

“I can take them.” Elena spoke up. “Mack, do you want to go with me?”

“Sure. Ward doesn’t need a bunch of people crowding around him.” Mack answered. “Best if it’s only a few with him.”

May nodded, “Then have Fitz and Coulson stay out here with Skye.” she began. “Trip and Simmons, you two can join us and help us keep the kids busy while they get Ward calmed down enough to where he’s okay.”

Trip took a breath, “Sure.” He looked over to Skye, “Call us if you need anything.”

Skye smiled and nodded, “Thanks. I’m sure that we’ll be able to handle it.” She turned and motioned for Coulson and Fitz to follow her back to Grant. “Hopefully.”

Grant still had his arms around Max when they got to him, his body shuddering with the occasional hiccup. Skye took a deep breath and kneeled down in front of him. 

“Grant?” she whispered. “Are you okay? It’s just me, Fitz, and Coulson. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“E-Explosions too loud. I don’t like them.” Grant stammered in response, keeping his head buried in the scruff of Max’s neck. “Hurt my ears.”

“Baby, I think you had a bad flashback. Was it about that mission last month?” Skye asked. “You freaked out and acted like something was attacking you. But nothing’s here. You’re okay.”

Grant swallowed and looked up to Skye with red-rimmed eyes, tears starting to dry on his cheeks, “I-I’m okay?” he asked. He looked around and realized that he was in their backyard, seeing the twins’ swing set nearby. “Oh.” His shoulders slumped, “Fuck. I-I thought I was better. I-I’m still sick.”

Skye’s face fell and she casted a brief glance to both Coulson and Fitz, “Grant, you’ve been through a lot these past few years. Just because you’ve been okay for a while doesn’t mean you’re not sick. You’re still going to have some issues from time to time.” she explained gently. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. We’ve stopped the fireworks. We can go in and just hang out for a while if you like. Or you can go to bed if you want.”

Grant stared off in the distance for a bit, trying to regain his composure as another hiccup rattled his body. “I-I guess I should go ahead and say this.” he began. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I guess that today solidified my decision.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I’m fully retiring from SHIELD.” He looked up to Coulson, “No missions. No combat. I’m almost 40 and have barely done anything with my life for God’s sakes. I just… I just want to spend time with my children. What just happened proves that I’m not suited for combat anymore. I don’t need that happening in the middle of a mission like that.”

Coulson nodded slowly, “I understand where you’re coming from and I won’t fight it. But, are you sure?” he asked. “This is a big decision.”

“I’m sure. I want to be around for my kids. I can’t keep doing this anymore.”

Skye sat there for a minute, trying to figure out what to say, “I… I can scale things back as well. Maybe just stick to hacking for the time being.” she stated. “I mean, it’s best for Adian and Ava if we’re not going on dangerous missions.”

Grant kept staring off into the distance, “I’ve already have something set up. The shelter where we got Captain at is saving me a spot as a shelter hand. It’s got decent pay and I get to be with dogs all the time. No risk of my mental issues flaring up there.” he explained. “I think things are better off this way.”

“That… That actually sounds good for you, Grant.” Fitz admitted. “But… But does this mean that you’re done with hero work?”

Grant shrugged, “I mean, if someone needs help and I happen to be nearby, I’ll do it. But I can’t keep fighting bad guys like how we have been doing.” he answered. “For both the twins’ sake and mine.” He looked up at Skye as she stood to her feet, “I just want a normal life for once.”

Skye nodded and reached out a hand towards him, “I’m fine with whatever you decide, Grant.” she stated as he took her hand and she helped him up. “As long as you’re happy. And safe. If you want to retire, then so be it.”

Grant nodded shakily, “I-I’m glad that you all understand.” he stammered, a slight smile on his face as Max remained pressed against his leg as they headed back towards the house. “I just can’t keep doing what I’m doing.” He stopped as he saw Adian and Ava running towards him. 

“Daddy! You okay!” they screamed. “Daddy!”

His smile grew just a bit more.

“For their sake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with this one, I'll be heading back to updating my other fics and will be giving this a break for a few days. But, hopefully this was good enough to last until then. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	11. Sand Between the Toes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach day!

“Adian, why is your castle big?”

Adian looked up, seeing Ava pout as her own sand castle crumpled to the ground. He looked back down to his, patting away at the sand, “You gotta put lots of sand in the bucket, Ava.” he stated. He spread his arms out, “A lot of it!”

Ava scooted over as Adian suddenly appeared right next to her, “Go away, Adian! I’m working!” She tried to shove at him, but Adian stood his ground.

“I’m gonna help you, Ava!” Adian proclaimed, reaching for his sister’s bucket. He took his own red shovel and began scooping sand into it. “I’m gonna help you get it big!” He carefully turned the bucket upside-down onto the top of the sand, quickly pulling it away to reveal a perfect castle, “Now you gotta make it pretty!”

“Woah!”

A smile pulled at Skye’s lips as she leaned back in her chair, “Now, won’t you look at that?” She turned her head to look at Grant as Ava started to reach for her pile of seashells, “They’re actually working together on something for a change.”

Grant almost snorted, “That’s because Adian wanted to help and Ava doesn’t like to fight him.” he stated, lifting up his sunglasses to look at the twins. His eyes drifted over to where Max and Captain lay nearby. “But they’ll change. They love one another, but they’re not even five years old yet. Give them some time.”

“Well, you do have a point. But I wish that they wouldn’t bicker now of all times. We’re at the beach for God’s sakes.” Skye continued. “They should be doing things like swimming. Not yelling at one another. And speaking of swimming, you should take them.” Skye sat up in her chair and looked towards the twins, “Guys, do you want Daddy to take you swimming?”

Both Adian and Ava’s heads shot up, “Yeah! We wanna go swimming with Daddy!”

Grant shook his head, “Uh, no. Nope.” He crossed his arms, “Not going swimming. Not stepping a foot in that water.”

Skye’s face fell, “Grant, don’t start this.” she stated. “They  _ really  _ want to go.”

“Come on, Daddy!” Adian shouted, jumping onto his father’s lap and sending sand everywhere. “I wanna swim!”

“Adian, you know that I don’t like getting wet.”

“But I wanna swim! Ava does too!”

“Yeah!” Ava shouted in agreement, slightly jumping into the air. “Swimming! Like what we do with Unca’ Lance at his pool!”

“Grant,” Skye began, looking at Grant with a stern look. “You can’t disappoint them just because you have some weird fear of water.”

“It’s not a fear, I just don’t like getting wet. You know that. Being wet makes me feel weak.” Grant began to explain with another shake of his head. “Water inhibits the ignition of my flames and it makes me weaker.”

“Grant, it’s a family vacation, not a firefight.”

“Yeah, but you never know.”

Skye took a deep breath, “Grant Douglas Ward, you are going to take our kids swimming or I’m going to find a way to drag you into those waves.” she warned. “Now.”

Grant huffed, “Fine.” he muttered, scooping Adian up into his arms as he stood to his feet. He bent down and let Adian go, “But we got to put your floaties on first. And we’re only staying in the shallow water.”

“Can Max and Cap swim, too?” Ava asked, coming up to her father and Adian. “They like to swim at Unca’ Lance and Auntie Bobbi’s house. Can they swim here?”

“I don’t see why not.” Skye answered, slipping Adian’s floaties on for him. “And, Ava, let your daddy put your floaties on you.”

Grant grumbled again as he bent back down to put Ava’s floaties on, “Still don’t want to get wet.” he muttered. “Maybe just my feet.”

Skye rolled her eyes and watched as Grant led the twins away with Max and Captain in tow, “I swear he just acts like them sometimes.” she mumbled underneath her breath. She smiled as she watched Grant lead Adian and Ava into the water, the twins’ squeals echoing out as the surf lapped at their feet. She smiled again as Max and Captain bounded across the water, sending spray into the air.

_ “I can’t believe that they’ll be five years old in a month and a half.”  _ she thought, continuing to watch the group.  _ “It feels like they were just born yesterday.” _

Her smile grew even more as Grant yelled, seeing Adian splash him with water. She kept watching them for a while before she head Adian announce that he wanted to go back to building the castle with Ava and wanted a snack.

“So you got wet after all.” Skye stated with a smirk as they came back. “Not so bad, is it?”

“Yeah, no thanks to Adian.” Grant muttered, sitting back down and grabbing his towel. “Even after I told him not to.”

Adian just smiled and turned to Skye as she gave him and Ava a towel, “Momma, I want a snack. You got fruit?”

Skye smiled and nodded, “I got some grapes you and Ava can share. Just remember, don’t give them to the dogs. They can’t have grapes.” She turned around and dug a bag of grapes out of their cooler along with two juice boxes. “Here you go. Bring the trash back to us when you’re done.”

“Thank you!” Adian took the food and ran back to the blanket a few feet away with Ava in tow. “Ava, let’s eat!”

“Okay, Adian!”

Skye shook her head and stood up, walking over to Grant’s chair and sitting down right next to him, “They’re a handful, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, especially when they splash you ever after you tell them not to.” Grant smiled and leaned his head on Skye’s shoulder. “But they’re not so bad.”

“Can you believe that they’re going to be five in a month and a half?” Skye asked, turning to look at him. “Time’s really flying.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me of that, Skye. I kind of wish that it would stay just like this forever. But they have to grow up.” Grant sighed and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “But they’re only going to be five. We have a while until they’re actually all grown up. Maybe it’ll go by slower.”

“Don’t bet on it, Hot-stuff.” Skye reached out and turned Grant’s head and pressed her lips to his. Grant moaned as he deepened the kiss, reaching out and drawing her closer to him. He dug his hand into the back of her hair. 

“Ew! Mommy and Daddy are kissing, Adian!”

“Ew!”

Grant and Skye pulled away from one another with alarm, turning to see Adian and Ava standing in front of them with Max and Captain behind them. 

Adian pointed at them, the bag of grapes hanging from his hand, “Why you kissin’?!” he exclaimed. “Yucky!”

Grant rolled his eyes and reached out to take the bag of grapes from the little boy, “Because we love each other very much, Adian. That’s how we show it.”

Ava wrinkled her nose, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling, “Ew. Mommy and Daddy yucky.”

“Yeah. Unca’ Lance says that how babies are made.” Adian stated. “I want a brother.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Oh, you two are definitely something.

And Hunter’s been hanging out with you too much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, hopefully, I'll have the next one up soon! I already have an idea of what I want it to be about! keep the comments and kudos coming!


	12. Toyland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adian and Ava find something in the toy store.

“I still don’t understand to why we had to let them come to the toy store. Coulson just bought them stuff like last week. They don’t need more toys.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Grant, they were good at school all week. I told them that they could get a little something if they were.” she began. “So they can get something.”

“Skye, they’re good all the time. They’re like the most well-behaved in their kindergarten class.” Grant stated, watching as Adian and Ava looked at Lego sets. “I mean, I know that they’re only five and that could drastically change, but still. Don’t have to reward them every single time.”

“Look, I want them to know that being good is what is wanted of them. I don’t care if I’m spoiling them or not. They need to know that they should have good manners and shouldn’t act up. Even though Adian  _ does  _ have someone’s anger issues already.” She shot Grant a glance before looking back at the twins. “But we’re working on that.”

Grant sighed and shrugged, watching as Adian picked up a Lego set that looked oddly like a small SHIELD quinjet, “At least he gets intervention for it early. I didn’t. So, it won’t be a problem for him like it was for me.” He began to walk towards the twins, “You really don’t need to worry about it. They’re only in kindergarten. Things can change, Skye. We’re teaching them well.”

Skye huffed, following him, “Well, I hope so. We’re certainly trying our best.” she stated in response. She stopped in front of the twins as Grant did, “What did you find?” she asked, looking down at them. “What is it?”

“It’s an Avengers quinjet!” Adian exclaimed, holding it high in his hands so both of his parents could see it. “I think Hawkeye flys it! And it’s got Spider-Man, too! Can we get it! Me and Ava can put it together!”

“Yeah!” Ava exclaimed in agreement. “Please?!”

Grant narrowed his eyes and turned his head to check the price, feeling slightly relieved when he saw that the set was on sale and didn’t cost all that much. He nodded and smiled, looking back to the twins, “Okay, we can get it.” he answered. “But just that for today. And you know that I used to pilot a quinjet, right? I still do sometimes if I’m needed.”

Adian nodded, “Yeah, but not with the Avengers.” he stated. “Never with the Avengers.”

Grant frowned, “Well, yeah. I work with SHIELD, not the Avengers, Adian.” he answered. “But, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Can we still look around at more?” Ava asked, going over to her father, clearly not interested in what they were talking about. She still wanted to see more toys. “I still like to look.”

“I don’t see what’s the harm of doing so. But you’re still only getting one toy. If you find something else you want more, you’re putting the Legos back. Okay?” Skye asked, glad that Ava had interrupted the conversation. “Deal?”

“Yeah.”

Grant rolled his eyes to himself as the twins began to lead them deeper into the toy store and he followed suit right beside Skye. “I better not end up having to put it together this time. They’re five. They should be able to put something like that together.” he began. “And it’s a small quinjet afterall. Should be easy, right?”

“Grant, they’re five. If they need help, they need help. They’re not Fitz.” Skye retorted, crossing her arms. “And you should enjoy spending some time with them like that, right? Don’t be so upset about it.”

“Yeah, it’s just that-”

“Mommy! Daddy! I found you!”

Grant blinked and looked up to see Adian pointing excitedly at a pair of action figures. Which ended up being a cheap pair of Quake and Hellfire figures. But it still filled his heart with a sense of pride. Nonetheless, he still didn’t want his children yelling that out in the middle of a toy store. 

“Shhh.” Grant placed a finger to his lips, “Adian, we don’t yell that out loud.” he stated sternly. “We don’t tell that to other people.”

Adian looked confused, “Why not?” he asked. “That’s you and Mommy.”

Grant bent down to pick Adian up, “That’s because it’s a secret. We can’t go around telling everyone that we have superpowers. That would be bad because some bad guys would like to take us out.”

“If it’s a secret, then why don’t you have a mask like Spider-Man?” Ava asked, looking up to Skye. She pointed at the toys, “They look like you.”

“I mean, some people might recognize us, but we don’t go around telling everyone that’s who we are.” Skye began to explain carefully. “And that’s okay with us. We don’t care if we’re famous like the Avengers or not. We’re fine like this.”

“But you got toys, Mommy. Look, they even have Daddy’s chain and your arm thingys.” She pointed next to the figures where some toy props were. Sure enough, there were toy replicates of her gauntlets and Grant’s chain. That amused her. 

“Yeah, but we’re not as famous as the Avengers, bug.” Skye stated, picking Ava up. “We probably never will be. And that’s fine. You ready to go? You’ve got a jet to put together, right?”

Ava nodded, “Yeah.”

Skye turned around to see Adian standing there, “You ready too, bud?” she asked, smiling when he nodded. “Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s over there.” Adian pointed behind her. “He’s playing.”

“Huh?” Skye turned back around to see Grant smiling devilishly and holding a set of the toy Hellfire chain. “Grant…”

“Skye, do you think these would work?” he asked, dangling the chain from his hand. “Not quite what Fitz had made for me. But, I think that they would do.”

Skye closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath, “Grant, honey, those are plastic. They would melt in an instant. Put those down and come on. I swear you’re just about as bad as the kids.”

Grant glowered and put the chains away, “I think they would make an  _ excellent  _ costume for Adian, though.” he stated, starting to follow them. “Hey, I have an idea.”

“Grant, no. They’re not going to be us for Halloween.”

“Aw, come on, Skye. Where’s the fun in that?”

“Grant!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this and the shortness. I would've updated a few days ago, but I was unfortunately dealing with a death in the family and wasn't up to writing until tonight. Hopefully, I'll have something else updated tomorrow night as well. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	13. A Compliment and a Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye teach the twins to play a beloved game.

“See, Adian? You just guess. Pick a random letter between A and J, then pick a random number between 1 and 10. If one of Daddy’s ships are in that spot, then you’ve hit it. Grant, call out one to show them.”

Grant blinked and scrunched up his eyes as though he was in deep thought, causing Ava to giggle, “Mmm…. A4.” he stated, fully opening his eyes with a sight grin. 

“Nope. See, there’s nothing there in the spot that Daddy called out. So I don’t put a red piece down. I put I white piece there to show that's where he called." Skye explained further, pointing to the spot on the board. “You just take turns calling things out until the game is over. The person with the most sunken battleships loses the game. Which is usually your father.”

Grant frowned, touching his chest as though her comment had physically hurt him, “Hey! I’m not that bad at this game!” he exclaimed. “I can beat you in any other game. Just… Just not this one.”

Skye smiled, “That’s right, honey. I dominate at this game.” she teased. “I can’t lose.”

“This game has no tactical reasoning behind it.” Grant began to argue. “It’s just stabbing blindly in the dark. There’s no brains to it.”

“And that’s why I like it. And besides, we have this argument every time we play this, Grant. Just let it go for once and stop being a sore loser.”

“Mommy, what’s a sore loser?” Adian asked, looking up at his mother from his spot in her lap. “What’s that?”

“A sore loser is someone who doesn’t like losing and acts like a kid when they lose. Just like your Daddy.” Skye answered with a smirk that was directed towards Grant. “No hard feelings, sweetheart.”

“Skye, we’re just trying to teach them how to play this.” Grant responded, wrapping a careful arm around Ava. “Let’s just get this over with so we can put them to bed. They still have school in the morning.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Okay, fine.” She pointed at the board again to get Adian’s attention, “Adian, it’s your turn. Call out a number and a letter.”

Adian nodded, “Okay!” he exclaimed and looked at the board. “Uh… A5! A for Adian and 5 because I’m five!”

Grant laughed slightly and shook his head, “Nope. Gotta try again, buddy. Miss.”

Skye gently took Adian’s hand and got him to take a white piece, “Now we put this up top in the space you just called out to show that it was a miss and you didn’t hit any of Daddy and Ava’s ships. Now, it’s Ava’s turn.” She looked at the little girl, “Ava, you know what to do?”

“Yeah!” Ava shook her head excitedly. “Uh, C8! Do that one!”

“Oops, that’s a miss, too.”

Grant shook his head, “Now you put a white piece in that space up top. Just like how Adian did.” he stated firmly. “You keep going back and forth like that, alright. Now it’s Adian’s turn again.”

“Uh…. D7!”

Grant looked down and grimaced, seeing that the spot that the little boy had called did include a part of one of his and Ava’s ships. “Hit.” he mumbled, even though it was mainly the twins doing the playing. It was still his ship.

Skye’s smirk grew even bigger, “See? Barely five minutes into the game and you’re already losing.” she teased. “And Adian’s definitely getting the hang of this. He’s pretty smart.”

“Again, this game has nothing to do with brains. All this game entails is lucky stabbing in the dark.” Grant protested, shifting Ava in his lap. “All he’s doing is guessing and getting lucky.”

“He’s still enjoying it. Don’t ruin his fun, Grant.”

Grant drew in a sharp breath, “Fine. Ava, it’s your turn, sweetheart.”

“G8!”

“There’s nothing there, Ava!” Adian almost laughed, clearly showing his mother’s affection for winning. “You didn’t hit anything!”

“Stop laughing, Adian! It’s not funny!”

“But I’m winning!”

Skye rolled her eyes and casted a glance towards Grant before looking back down at Adian, “Alright, let’s keep it fair, Adian. Don’t rub it in your sister’s face.” she said. “Be nice. You have your father’s spirit in you alright.”

Grant was going to snark back at her, but he decided not to. It was just best to let Adian and Ava play their game. It was almost their bedtimes anyways, they didn’t have much longer before they had to put the game away for the night. 

“Alright, keep playing, guys.”

Grant and Skye continued helping the two five year olds with their game, the team of Grant and Ava still losing against the team of Skye and Adian. Grant still didn’t know what it was with Skye and Battleship, but she always found some way to win no matter what. Even if she was helping their five year old son play. He didn’t get it. Or he just hated the fact that he was losing. Again.

They continued playing for a few more minutes before Skye leaned down and whispered something in Adian’s ear, causing Grant to frown.

“Skye, you can’t be whispering things to him! That’s cheating!” Grant protesting, glaring at the pair. “You can’t do that!”

“Grant, Adian and I are on the same team I didn’t want you and Ava hearing our decision.” Skye smirked once more. “And I think we’ve come to a  _ very  _ excellent decision. Go ahead and say it, Adian.”

“Uh. G4.”

Grant blinked and slowly looked down at the board, his stomach freezing over. He looked back up and smiled slightly, not saying a word.

Skye’s smile only grew even more and she laughed, “Go ahead, Ward. Say it.” she urged. “I know what you’re about to say. It’s just best that you go ahead and do it now. Say it.”

Grant swallowed and looked down shamefully, “You sunk my battleship.” he muttered as Ava squealed, placing a red piece on the battleship and indicating that it had been sunk by Adian. “That’s it, game over!” He looked back up, “It’s getting late anyways and these two have to go to bed!” He stood up, scooping up Ava in his arms.

“See? I told you that you were a sore loser!” Skye stood up, holding Adian closely. “And you always will be.”

“Mommy, does that mean I win?” Adian asked, looking towards his father and his sister. “Did I win?”

“Yes it does, buddy.” Skye answered, knowing that Grant wouldn’t say anything. “You beat Daddy and Ava.”

Adian happily clapped his hands, “Yay! I beated you, Daddy! I win!” he exclaimed. “Me and Mommy win!”

Grant looked down to the floor, “No need to rub it in, Adian.” he mumbled, clearly distraught about it. “It’s time for bed.”

“But I win, Daddy! Me and Mommy win! I wanna play again!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I hope that this was cute enough! I'm hoping to have another one up soon! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	14. Puppy Playtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins visit Grant at the animal shelter.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Grant looked up, slinging the bag of dog food over his shoulder as he turned around. He smiled, seeing the twins running towards him, Skye just behind them, “Oh, well this is a surprise!” he exclaimed, leaning down to meet them. “So, I take it you two had a really good day at school, then.”

Adian nodded excitedly, “Yeah!” he shouted. “Mommy said we could come see you and the doggies if we were good!”

“Yeah, they were good. They even got a good note sent home with them saying that they were good and helped out during crafts.” Skye stated, causing Grant to look up at her. “So I told them that they could come see you. I hope that you’re not too busy or anything.”

“Nah. Just getting a bag of dog food so one of the other shelter hands can feed some of the dogs.” Grant answered, standing to his feet, “I’m free for a little while.” He smiled, “I have an idea. We’ve got a litter of puppies that need socializing for a bit.” He looked down at the twins, “And I’ve got two perfect little helpers right here.”

Ava’s face scrunched up, “What’s that mean?” she asked with a tilt of her head. “What’s that funny word?”

“Socializing means that they need to play with others.” Skye explained for her. “The puppies need to play.”

Ava’s eyes lit up with that, “Can we play with the puppies?!” she yelled. “I wanna play with the puppies! What kind of puppies are they?!”

Grant’s smile grew even more, “They’re mutts. I think they’re a Labrador mix, but they’re very cute.” he answered, shifting his grip on the bag of dog food. “They’re in a playroom upstairs right now. That’s where we’re going to go. Let me just go set this bag down over there so the other shelter hands can find it.”

“Yay!” both Adian and Ava yelled at the same time, watching their father take the bag of dog food and sit it down by a door. “Let’s go, Daddy!”

“Alright, it’s back here.” He motioned for them to follow him. “I don’t think you guys will be able to play long, but it should be good enough.” He looked towards Skye, “You wanna make a bet on who will be conked out first? The twins or the puppies.”

“Hmmm. I don’t know. I feel like it’ll be a tie. But it’ll surely make a great pic that I can send to the others later.”

Grant almost snorted, “Oh, it definitely will.” he laughed. “Oh, how are Max and Captain?”

“They’re sleeping. We dropped bookbags off and got a snack before coming here. The dogs were about asleep when we left.” Skye stated as they went into a back room. “So they’ll be fine long enough for us to let the twins play.”

Grant nodded, “Yeah, they should be. I-”

“Daddy! Look at the puppies! There’s so many!”

Grant stopped and looked up seeing Adian and Ava jump up and down right outside a huge playpen full of puppies. “Yeah, there’s six of them. So be careful. I want you two to sit when you play. No running around with them so you don’t trample them.”

“Okay! Can we go in, Daddy?” Ava asked, looking back at her father. “Please?”

“Well, let me get in the pen first so I can pick you two up and set you in.” Grant answered, walking over to the pen and carefully stepping into it, minding the puppies running around his feet. “Watch out for them. They’re smaller than you and you don’t wanna hurt them.” He reached over the pen and picked Ava up first, smiling as she squealed once he put her down.

“Get me, Daddy!” Adian yelled. “I wanna be in there, too!”

“Hold on, Adian.” Grant reached towards the five year old and picked him up. “I’ve got you.” He sat the little boy down and the puppies immediately started to jump on him. 

Adian squealed in pleasure, “They’re on me, Daddy! I like them! Mommy, look at me!” he yelled, trying his best to sit down like his father told him to do. He squealed again as one of the puppies jumped up and licked him in the face, “He likes me!”

Skye’s lips curled up into a huge smile at the sight. Adian was just like his father.

“Adian, you got more puppies than I do!” Ava protested, seeing that four puppies were on Adian and only two were on her. “I’m comin’ over there!”

“Okay, we need a ball. Puppies like fetch!” Adian looked around the pen and smiled when he saw a ball on the other side. “Daddy, can you get that ball?”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Please.”

Grant smiled, “Good.” He turned around and walked towards the ball, bending down to pick it up. He tossed it lightly across the enclosure, “Here, they’ll go chase it.”

Both Adian and Ava squealed in delight as the litter of puppies ran to chase the ball, yipping and barking as they went. The puppies, all either black, brown, or a mixture of the two colors, ran and skid across the floor. 

Grant sighed and smiled to himself as he walked back towards Skye and stepped out of the pen. He shook his head as he stood next to her, “They’re gonna be conked out before you know it, Skye.” he stated. “It won’t take long at this rate.”

Skye scoffed, “I think Adian and Ava will be out before those puppies will. And those puppies were probably playing for awhile before we came in here.”

“Eh. Will make getting the twins home later easier.” Grant leaned over and kissed Skye on the cheek, “I’ll be able to leave in about an hour.” He looked at his watch, “So about 5:00. I’ll throw some hamburgers or something on the grill. You have a good day?”

Skye shrugged, “I helped with some newbies’ training. That’s about it. I can still kick their asses, though.”

“That’s because you’re a level 8 agent that also happens to be an Inhuman.” Grant raised an eyebrow, “Maybe I should come in and show them how it’s done. Hand-to-hand combat, you and me.”

“Grant, you’re supposed to be retired, remember? You only come in if SHIELD really, really needs you. You overdo it sometimes.”

“Well, I’m restless. I like to get the fire out of my system every now and then. I just can’t do firefights every other day anymore.” Grant swallowed, “You know that. I-”

“Daddy! The puppy went poopy!”

Grant looked up to see Adian standing up and pointing at a small pile of poop, “Well, I better get that before they step or roll in it. We don’t need them covered in crap before we can get them home.”

Skye snickered slightly, “I can’t believe you went from fighting supervillains to picking up dog crap.” she stated with a smile. “What a career change.”

Grant rolled his eyes, “I was picking up crap everyday before I quit SHIELD, Skye. You know that.”

“Yeah, but it’s your job now.”

Grant stepped back into the pen as the twins giggled again, “Don’t push me, Skye. How about you come here and do it?” he asked. “You’ve done it plenty of times before.”

Skye wrinkled her nose, “Uh, no thanks.

I’ll leave that up to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I hope to have a new one soon! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	15. Playtime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins have a playdate.

“Guys, be careful with Ben, he can’t play like you can.”

“But we wanna play with him, Auntie Elena!” Adian protested, crossing his arms over his chest and reminding Elena of Grant. “Lucia said we could!”

Mack raised an eyebrow, “Just because Lucia said so doesn’t mean that you can.” he stated. “We know what’s best for Ben and I don’t think roughhousing is the best way to go. He can’t even walk yet. You can help him play with some of his toys, he’ll like that. But, it you want to roughhouse, don’t do it around Ben. We don’t need him getting hurt.”

Adian pouted again and turned to his sister, “Ava, we can’t play with Ben.” the six year old announced. “Let’s play Legos.”

“Now,” Mack began, a smile pulling at his lips. “I didn’t say that you  _ couldn’t  _ play with Ben, I said that you couldn’t play rough with him.” He leaned down and grabbed a backpack that sat at Elena’s feet and held it out towards the twins. “This has his toys in it. Lucia can show you two how to play with Ben, okay?”

Ava gladly accepted the bag from Mack and plopped down next to where Ben sat propped up. The little boy laughed, reaching towards Ava and the bag. 

“I gotta help!” Lucia ran over and sat down in front of her little brother, taking the bag from Ava as Adian sat down as well. “He likes his cars, so you can play cars with him!” She reached into the bag and pulled out a red, blocky car, handing it to the six month old. The little boy squealed, waving the car around. “Ben, the car goes ‘vroom vroom’! ¡El carro es rojo!” 

Elena smiled as she watched Lucia fawn happily over her little brother. She and Mack weren’t planning on having another child, but Ben still happened. But, she didn’t regret it one bit. Ben was yet another blessing. She was just glad that he and Lucia didn’t come at the same time like Adian and Ava did. Elena believed that Grant and Skye both had another super power since they were able to raise twins.

Lucia pointed at Adian and Ava, “¡Vamos a jugar!” she exclaimed. “They want to play!”

Ava wrinkled her nose, “Why you speakin’ Spanish, Lucia?” she asked, scooting closer to them. “Daddy speaks Spanish sometimes. And other languages too. I don’t know them.”

“Mommy speaks Spanish, so I do, too.” the five year old answered. “I want Ben to speak it too. He just babbles right now.”

“He’ll learn sooner or later, Lucia.” Mack said. “He’s still just a baby, sweetheart. Give him some time. I think speaking Spanish is the least of his worries right now.”

“But, I want him to, Daddy.” Lucia protested, looking up to her parents. “He gotta be smart. Like you.”

Mack smiled, “Like I said, you just have to be patient. There’s a lot he’s got to learn, baby. He’ll start talking sooner or later. Give him a while. He’s learning.”

Lucia narrowed her eyes and turned back towards her brother, “Okay.” She looked to Adian and Ava before looking back to Ben, “Ben, you wanna play race cars?” she asked, pulling out three more cars. “We got enough for all of us. We gonna race.”

“I’m gonna win!” Adian yelled with a laugh, grabbing an orange car. “I like racing!”

“Adian, Ben’s a baby.” Ava began, glaring at her brother. “He can’t race like us.”

“I’m still gonna win!”

Mack sighed and rolled his eyes, looking over to Elena, “I know Adian’s like Grant in many more ways than one, but he gets that competitive streak right from Skye.”

Elena raised an eyebrow, “You think? You’ve seen her on game night, right? Or when she’s on that Xbox? She’s teaching him a bad habit.”

“Nah, he’s always been like this. He always likes to be in the lead.” Mack continued with a shrug. “I don’t think he learned it from her. Because Ava likes to be the one in charge like Skye as well. They’re just a weird combination of their parents.” He watched as Lucia had them all line the cars up, helping Ben the best she could. “The traits just come out at different times.”

“How far we gonna race?” Ava asked, looking at her car. “To the end of the rug? Where Max is?” She pointed to the sleeping nine year old shepherd, his graying muzzle laying on the end of the rug. “It’s not that far for Ben.”

“I’ll help Ben race.” Lucia stated firmly. “He can’t do it himself. He gets help.”

Elena and Mack looked at one another as the kids set up their race. Adian yelled for the race to start and they all started for the end of the rug, Lucia racing Ben’s car for him. Max barked and shot up, startled as the three kids were suddenly heading towards him. The shepherd huffed and paddled over to Captain, the five year old shepherd carefully watching the kids play.

“I win!” Adian screamed as his orange car reached the end of rug. “I told you that I would win! I won the race!”

“Stop yelling, Adian!” Ava shot back, glaring at her brother again. “You’re too loud!”

Adian wrinkled his nose, “But, I still win.” he stated quietly. “I always win.”

Ben suddenly started crying, clearly startled by the six year old’s yells. Elena quickly scooped up the little boy, holding him close to her chest. “Guys,” she started. “How about we take it outside?” she suggested. “You’re being too loud for Ben and I think he may need a nap. Your parents won’t be home for a while.”

“Okay.” Lucia stood up and motioned for the twins to follow her. “We gotta let Ben sleep or he’ll be cranky. And we don’t want that. We gonna go play outside.”

“Okay.” Adian and Ava replied in unison, following their friend outside. Max and Captain followed as well, leaving Mack and Elena alone with the still-crying Ben. 

Mack sighed and took Ben from Elena, gently shushing the infant, “Don’t worry, buddy. They’re outside. You can sleep if you want.” he stated quietly. He looked back up to Elena with a shake of his head. 

“See? They’re  _ just  _ like their parents. The splitting images of Grant and Skye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but I wasn't sure of what else to put. But, I hope that it's good enough! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	16. Tricks or Treats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye get the twins ready for Halloween.

“Adian, you need to hold still, buddy. I’ve got to adjust the chain.”

Adian squirmed as his father adjusted the set of plastic chains around his torso, “But it tickles, Daddy.” he complained. “You’re tickling me.”

Grant rolled his eyes at the six year old, “You’re the one that wanted to be Hellfire, chain and all.” he retorted. “Now you’re complaining.”

“Grant, he’s complaining because you’re taking a long time putting those plastic chains on him.”

Grant looked up as Skye came up to him, “They’ve got to be just right, Skye.” he stated. “Adian’s a perfect replica.”

“He’s six and that’s a Halloween costume.”

With a huff, Grant stopped adjusting the chains and stood up to examine his handiwork. Grant still couldn’t believe that they had managed to find a near-replica of his trusty leather jacket that would fit Adian. He wasn’t a fan of the so-called ‘cheap’ costumes stores had, so Grant had to make the costume himself, other than buying the set of plastic chains. Adian was clad in a brown, leather jacket, a pair of denim jeans, and a pair of black boots. 

“See? Just like me.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Whatever you say.”

“Daddy, you like my costume?!”

Grant looked to see Ava running up to him, her brown hair flying everywhere. He frowned, seeing the change to her costume, “Skye, why is she wearing a tutu?” he asked. “She’s supposed to be Quake.”

Skye raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, but I didn’t like how the unitard suit fit her behind.” she stated. “So a quick change covered that.”

Ava smiled and spun around, “I’m ballerina Quake!” she exclaimed, pointing at her black tutu.

“Was it really that bad? It’s a costume for a little girl.” Grant examined his daughter’s costume, looking for what Skye was talking about. He just didn’t like the fact that the costume wasn’t quite matching to what Skye’s uniform was really like. At least it still had the gauntlets.

“It’s a unitard, it was kind of tight there believe it or not.” Skye sighed, “I didn’t want my six year old daughter walking around like that.”

Grant shrugged, “Whatever makes the both of you happy, at least she’s ecstatic with it.” he commented. He turned back towards the twins, “Are you two ready?” he asked. “Uncle Mack and Auntie Elena will be here with Ben, Lucia, and Elle soon. Then we’ll go trick-or-treating.”

“Yeah!” the twins exclaimed in unison with vigorous nods. 

“I want candy!” Adian practically screamed, picking up his Avengers candy bucket and swinging it around. “Lots of it!”

Skye’s eyes widened and she gave Adian a sharp frown, “I think you’ve already gotten into the candy.”

“Nah, he’s just excited.” Grant laughed and smiled. “Adian, go get Max and Captain from outside. He needs to be ready, too.”

“Okay! Ava, come on!”

Grant shook his head and turned back towards his wife, “They’ll be crashed as soon as they get back home.” he began, walking towards her. “You sure you don’t want to dress up, too? We could be Quake and Hellfire alongside them.”

“Because we’re Quake and Hellfire like every other day. And you remember what happened last year. I got in an argument with a guy that swore my ‘costume’ was fake.” Skye began, crossing her arms. “Even though it’s the one and only.”

“Then you threatened to quake his ass and then he threatened to call the cops because he didn’t realize that you’re the real Quake. I remember what happened.”

Skye smiled lightly, “That’s why I don’t want to be Quake for Halloween. It’s my job. I don’t mind if our kids dress up as us, but I’m not dressing up as our job for Halloween. We’re normal people for Halloween, Grant.” She got closer to him and threaded her fingers with his, “Can’t we pretend for just one night?”

Grant smiled back, “Yeah, I guess. We-”

“Daddy! We got Max and Captain!”

Grant sighed and pulled away from his wife, turning to see the twins running up to them, both Max and Captain in tow. They both smiled at the dogs’ costumes. They had used dog-safe, washable  white paint to make Max look like a skeleton. Captain had a Captain America dog costume on, courtesy of Coulson of course. 

“They’re ready for candy, too!” Ava exclaimed, holding her own Avengers bucket. “They want some!”

Skye shook her head, “Baby, they’re dogs. They can’t have candy. Maybe we’ll be lucky and someone will have treats to give them.” she explained. “But they can’t have the candy you get, it’s bad for them.”

Ava pouted, “But they want some, too.”

“Ava…”

The little girl huffed again and turned her back to her parents.

“When’s Lucia, Ben, and Elle gonna be here?” Adian asked, moving the subject on. “I wanna go. Now.”

“I’m sure that they’ll be here in a little bit, buddy.” Grant said, pulling out his phone to look at the time. “They had to go pick up Elle from Auntie Jem and Uncle Fitz’s. They’ll be here after that. Just hold on for a little bit, it takes them a little while to do that. The candy isn’t going anywhere. The sun hasn’t even started to set yet. You’ve got plenty of time, bud.”

Adian wrinkled his nose, “Will anyone know who we are?” he asked, fiddling with his toy chains. 

Grant smiled, “I’m sure that they will, Adian.” he answered, scratching at his bearded chin. “Quake and Hellfire are getting pretty popular these days.” Neither Adian or Ava had made the connection yet that their parents were Quake and Hellfire, even though they were two of their favorite superheroes, much to Grant and Skye’s amusement. But, Grant knew that they would figure out sooner or later.

“Good.” 

Skye rolled her eyes. Adian was such an attention seeker, just like Grant was. Grant liked to show off and so did Adian. Like father, like son. 

“Ava, we gotta get a lot of chocolate.” Adian stated, turning to face his twin sister. “No yucky candy.”

Ava nodded in agreement, “I want lots of chocolate.” she stated, lifting her bucket up. “I want peanut butter cups. And Snickers. Lot of them.”

Skye and Grant sighed, looking at one another in exasperation, knowing that their two children would be bouncing off of the walls for days on end if they didn’t watch them with the candy.

“Oh, we’re definitely hiding the candy after tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's another little entry to this. This would've been longer, but my hands are bothering me and I can't write anymore. But I hope that you enjoyed! Keep the comments and kudos coming!

**Author's Note:**

> Just another idea inspired by an AU created by me and a friend on Tumblr! Find me on there @ gears-of-ward!


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